Refund Policy

Description

La Crosse Open Streets is a partnership between the Wisconsin Bicycle Federation and Explore La Crosse with support from Downtown Mainstreet, Inc, the City of La Crosse and the La Crosse City Vision Foundation.

La Crosse Open Streets is an event that will take place Sunday, September 3rd during the seventh year of the La Crosse Labor Day Bicycle Festival. This is an effort to bring a new event to the area, while still capitalizing on the audience that will already be attending the Bicycle Festival.

Open Streets events create car-free spaces where people and families can exercise and play; at the same time, neighborhood businesses and vendors can engage the community and visitors in new ways. We will use about a mile of downtown streets for this special event, activating space that is otherwise quiet on a Labor Day afternoon, and bringing new customers and sightseers to businesses.

Open Streets is a worldwide movement modeled after Ciclovia, which began in Bogota, Columbia. The idea focuses on minimizing the use of cars and temporarily promoting biking, walking and active living in the communal spaces that are otherwise dominated or made unsafe or unhealthy by moving and parked cars.

Open Streets events are designed to be recurring – possibly weekly or monthly through the summer. The idea is to give a glimpse of other ways to get around and use city space. While there are events throughout world, the most famous Open Streets events are in places like Toronto, LA, and St. Petersburg, Florida.

We would like to begin by creating an annual event. While we know that temporary car-free spaces allow community involvement and support physical activity or the broadening of transportation choices, creating a welcoming community and encouraging people to return, we also know that it is difficult to imagine those choices with so many cars. The Open Streets event temporarily shows what is possible.

The City of La Crosse will close a stretch of downtown between Cameron Park and Burns Park. A map will be created to illustrate where activities will take place including yoga, dance, art, hula hooping, ladder ball, bean bag toss, jenga blocks, bubbles, bike checks, bicycle skills courses and more. Organizations and businesses will be invited to participate and encouraged to have an activity for participants. Food trucks and craft vendors will also be invited.

A Facebook page will be created with updates leading up to the event. Open Streets will be promoted on social media and printed posters, post cards, fliers, signs and maps.

Please contact Carolyn Dvorak to reserve space outside your business or along the route and for event sponsorship.